Ready or not
by Sabie
Summary: Sabie hurts the FOH member accidentaly... and appeares in the court. the death penalty is close...


1 Sequel: "Sabie's Life"  
  
Story: #3  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Summary: Young mutants repent for adult's crimes.  
  
2 READY OR NOT  
  
(May, 2019.  
  
Sabie – 11 months)  
  
2.1 Prologue  
  
"Now easy, baby, easy!" Rebecca soothed, trying to get a hold of the kid who was whirling in her arms to get to the small stuffed cat – her favorite toy. She was extremely animated at eleven months, she was already going fast on all four, picking up toys and chewing all of them… yeah, and it meant the end of the toy the moment it appeared in Sabie's mouth. The girl had teeth long ago, she got her first one at the age of three months. Rebecca was glad she didn't have to breast feed her, as she had been feeding her from the bottle since the day she adopted her, the problem of being bitten through not in count.  
  
There was the other problem though. She didn't care the teeth appeared way too early, but damn, they were really sharp and all fang-like. Stuffed toys torn to shreds not in count, but there were plastic cars with the marks of kid's teeth… Rebecca just hoped she didn't bite through her lip.  
  
Unfortunately, it wasn't everything Sabie possessed. Nice rosy nails she had as a cub, turned into claws to the age of four months. Black, tough, and razor sharp, they looked odd on her small hands, and scared Rebecca like hell. At first she tried to cut them, but the scissors broke and, what was far more important, little Sabie yelled and started crying. ~Must be some nerve endings in there~ she thought. She tried to cover them with leather gloves so the kid couldn't hurt herself, and it worked till Sabie got three weeks older and found out her claws were retractable. With a hiss they could shoot to the length of three inches, making her look like a small Freddy Krueger, and Rebecca was terrified to come to her at first. It took her two more weeks to get used to her small scary wonder.  
  
She also had heightened senses. It first came to Rebecca in the Medical Center, when Sabie heard her approaching before she even saw her, but now she came to the thought it was more the sense of scent than the hearing. It was funny to watch how the girl was sticking her nose to any object around, supper porridge included.  
  
She was recognizing words already, must be due to her enhanced hearing. She turned her head when she was called, recognized some object names, those like "cat", "door", or "toy", even defined the names of the dishes Rebecca cooked for her. The woman was sure the girl could have talked already if she wanted. However, she didn't want to talk, preferring to purr, growl or yell.  
  
That was the thing that worried Rebecca – the kid's evolving. Sabie was definitely a clever curious child, but she stubbornly didn't want to evolve the way other kids did. She should have been walking long ago according to her other actions, but she wasn't, preferring to move on all four, and there wasn't a single thing the woman could do about that.  
  
At last Sabie managed to get a hold of the blue stuffed cat and quieted in Rebecca's arms. The woman signed with relief and was ready to put the girl into the bed, when the doorbell rang. Leaving Sabie on the mattress, she stepped to the door and opened it.  
  
There was a man in FOH uniform there, and she felt the shiver running down her spine under his cold pinning stare. "Are you Rebecca Sangerson?" he questioned, and all she managed was to nod. "I'm private Crayton, I came with the standard monthly check, to your kid Sabie." He continued.  
  
Rebecca nodded. Sure, for the first year of mutant kid's life the government provided so called checks made by Friends Of Humanity organization, to find out the most dangerous beings from homo superior race. If the ones were found, they were isolated to avoid the risk to other citizens.  
  
"But I thought Mrs. Basko would come…" Rebecca muttered frowning, but stepping inside to let the man come in. Mrs. Basko, the one who visited them before, was middle aged afro-italian woman with a very generous temper and kind eyes. At first Rebecca didn't like the whole idea of someone visiting her daughter every damn month, however after the very first visit she was sure from now on she won't have any problems with them – just after the slightest look on the check-woman. It was also that Sabie loved her, especially her long ponytails she could pull at.  
  
The man shook his head. "She was moved to another region and now I'll be the social-worker for your kid, Mrs. Rebecca." He smiled, and it gave her the creeps.  
  
He stepped into the room asking the standard questions on the way. "Have you seen any other mutations after the last check-up?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Have you noticed any other shifts from the standard evolving?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Have you noticed any forms of aggression?"  
  
"No" ~Damn~ Rebecca thought ~Four more months with that geek… whoa…~  
  
At this time the man came to the bed and reached out for the kid. "Nice kid you have, Mrs." He smiled coldly, and Rebecca felt the rage raising in her. How dared her to touch her girlie with those stupid fingers of his?! The man sneaked his hands under kid's armpits and lifted it up to his chest- level. The kid whined a bit, then suddenly fell into motionlessness and whimpered in a protest. The man didn't pay attention to the kid's reaction, looking it all over, and Rebecca felt her hands clenching into fists. No one dared do that to Sabie. She was ready to ask the man to be careful when it happened.  
  
With a hiss Sabie's claws shot out and not a full moment later she slapped the man, claws tearing the skin and the flesh of his cheek deeply. He let out a terrifying yell and let the kid go, pressing both hands to his cheek. The kid fell on the ground and started crying. Rebecca ran to the kid and rose it up, her pupils wide with terror. But no, the girl seemed to be okay, no wounds, no broken bones, no other troubles. Just a bit scared, nothing else.  
  
That all took no more than a moment, and with a small sigh she turned to the man. He was now on the floor, grunting something, close to loosing consciousness. Rebecca jumped to the phone and called 911.  
  
Then she turned to the man. ~First aid~ flashed through her mind. Almost a whole year passed after her last practice - but she was a doctor and professional reflexes were beyond her. She got to the shelf with the First Aid kit and rooted in it looking for a bandage and anesthetic, when she noticed the man's movement. He was fumbling in his pocket, and she even thought he was looking for a handkerchief to cover the wound, when he took out a cell phone. "I've called the ambulance already" she soothed, fixing the bandage over the wound to stop the blood-flow. He shook his head ever so slightly not to disturb the fixation, and pressed some buttons.  
  
Before Rebecca could react at the number he dialed, he said in a quite grunting voice: "Jameson Street 8, the man is hurt by a mutant." With that he dropped the phone.  
  
Rebecca's eyes widened. "But… it was an accident… you saw it was…" she mumbled unsurely.  
  
He shook his head again. "I don' care" his voice came, gruff due to the injury. "It hurt me" he pointed weakly onto the kid who was still on the floor, quite though.  
  
Realizing her girl was still on the floor, she quickly picked her up and put into the bed. "She's just a kid" she said in desperation. The man slowly rose his eyes to her, his pupils wide from anesthetic drug and numbed pain. "Tell it to the court"  
  
###  
  
Both the police and the ambulance came soon after the calls. A doctor in a white coat quickly thanked Rebecca for the first help she made and turned to the patient to take the bandage off. A set of quiet cusses followed as he got a good look at the wound. Rebecca looked too. Now, as some blood was taken away with the bandage, she could see the deep scratches went from his ear almost to the corners of his lips. A ball of nausea crawled up her throat. Then she felt someone touching her shoulder. It was the policeman.  
  
"I'd like you to give me the kid" he said, pointing at the girl she was still holding in the crook of her arms.  
  
"Why?" her eyebrows flew up, then her eyes turned into slits as the realization hit her. "No, but you're not gonna take her, no way!"  
  
The policeman shrugged. "We have to, Mrs."  
  
She shook her head. "NO!"  
  
He sighed "Then you go to jail with her."  
  
"I agree" she replied eagerly, then the realization hit her. "Jail?!" she gagged.  
  
The policeman nodded. "You have the right to remain silent, everything you say may be used against you, you have the right to a lawyer…" She took a set of deep breaths. Damn, but they were gonna put her in jail…  
  
She kept silent throughout the whole way to the police department.  
  
###  
  
"We'll make it" she whispered to the girl she held in her arms. Little Sabie was looking around and banging her hands together occasionally with an offended look on her face. Banging, because they put those metal gloves on her, stupid motherfuckers. Metal looked weird on her tiny hands.  
  
"Just to protect others from her claws" they said. She wanted to object, to tell them the kid never ever used her claws like that, but then she didn't say a word. No one knew how could they use that against her.  
  
"You do understand what this is all about?" she whispered to the kid, and her voice sounded way too loud in an empty cell. Sabie did understand. She understood she was taken away from her home and her favorite stuffed cat.  
  
Part1  
  
The door opened and Rebecca immediately drifted out of the nap she was in. "Your lawyer is waiting for you" the policeman said.  
  
Rebecca rubbed her eyes "What time is it?"  
  
"11:23 already" She sighed.  
  
She was taken to a middle sized room with gray walls and a lamp on the ceiling. There was a big table and two chairs there. The policeman motioned her to one of the chairs. There was a man sitting on the other one. In his fourties he still had rich brown hair, however his eyes were dim, maybe due to the dimness of the room, maybe they just were like that. His pose radiated confidence and calmness, and that made Rebecca ease a bit.  
  
"I'm Hatcher Minooka, your lawyer." He introduced himself.  
  
She frowned "How did you get here?… I mean are you the lawyer the state chose, or?"  
  
He shook his head. "Lara Kinsley asked me to defend you in the court." Rebecca signed. Sure thing, she remembered Lara, her colleague from the med- center. Damn, but she never thought she had anything to do with lawyers…  
  
"As you realize, I'm here to help you and… your kid" he threw a glance of Sabie. "But you also understand I can do nothing if I don't have a clear picture of the events. Every thing you will now hide from me may be used against you by the accusers."  
  
She nodded. "I'm not gonna hide a thing." Then her eyes rose and stared right into his. "Why do they do it?! What fucking right do they have to punish a kid who ain't even a damn year old, huh?! She ain't even the legal age; if she was normal she would never ever be taken to the court! Why do they let the killers go – and bring my li'l Sabie to the court?!" she felt tears pushing their way to the surface.  
  
He took a hold of her palm and cupped it in his own. "Your kid is a mutant, and you know what they think about mutants. They consider them a danger to humankind, and every thing they do weighs a thousand times more than the same thing done by a human. The FOH wants to make a loud process of it, and I see no way we can stop them." He paused. "Remember the Christ and Navarre? The folk made a decision: Jesus was crucified and the murderer was let go.  
  
It's something of this kind. And it'd be better if you understand it before the case starts. They do not like outbursts." Rebecca swallowed, then took some deep breaths and blinked the tears away. It is like it is. Even if they're judging the cub, she ain't the one to do anything about it. "Get yourself together and look at it like it's a normal fact. We shall fight them on the base of laws, not on the base of morality – those won't help."  
  
He signed. "Now, would you please tell me what had happened? In details, please." Rebecca took a deep breath.  
  
###  
  
Several times he stopped her with questions, but the more she talked the more he frowned. As she finished, he signed and eased back on the chair. "So, they now have two ways to run the case. First – to demand a penalty from you for bodily harm, second – make in a mutant-type case. By the fact your kid is here, they chose the second way." Rebecca's heart sank.  
  
"What will it be then?"  
  
"By the look of things they want it to be the public process of "Humans Against Mutants" kind. That Crayton, your offender, is one of the FOH members, as you already know. However, he isn't just a regular member, unfortunately he's a fanatic. Last year he played traitor to his best friend as he discovered his friend was a mutant. We may… no, we will have problems with him here."  
  
"What might be the end for Sabie?" Rebecca questioned. Mr. Hatcher chewed his lips.  
  
"She may be given to the FOH boarding school…" She gasped, and he looked at her till she made a sign to continue. "She may also be taken to any mutant prison of a Genoshian type, or she may receive a death penalty." Rebecca swallowed hard. The man stared at her. "I just want you to know what may happen. I think you have right to know." She nodded.  
  
"Well… and isn't it possible… can't we win this case?" she looked at him with her eyes full of hope. He looked at her for another long moment, then slowly shook his head.  
  
"Not a chance"  
  
###  
  
"All rise." the man announced. The people in the room got up, including Rebecca who was holding the kid in her arms. Sabie was watching her weird surrounding, thinking about why wasn't she in her comfy house now, with her comfy bed and toys and her stuffed cat and the nice food and… mostly she missed the stuffed cat. She winced. The warm hand stroked her forehead, and the wincing subsided. At least ma was still here.  
  
The judge started. "Today's case is: the people of California versus Sabie Sangerson. I'll allow the accuser read their charge.  
  
The short man in dark suit rose and proclaimed. "Sabie Sangerson, a citizen of California is charged of causing physical and emotional harm to Crayton Dugger, a Private with the Friends Of Humanity organization, and a citizen of California"  
  
Mr. Hitcher rose his hand with an exclaim "Objection, sir. The defendant is under the legal age to carry the law responsibility."  
  
"The court will take it into account when making the sentence. The charge is not denied."  
  
"They judge a kid who can't even talk yet. Do they understand it?!…" Rebecca whispered.  
  
He nodded. "They do. They just have no guts to face it. Anyway, we have to play their game here." He ran his hand over Rebecca's in a calming motion.  
  
"Does the defendant admit herself guilty?" the judge proceeded. Mr. Hatcher rose from his seat.  
  
"As the defendant is under the age of legality, his mother has the right to answer the question your honor has stated."  
  
Rebecca rose from her seat. "Sabie is not guilty." she said clearly, looking at the judge. He nodded.  
  
"Fix that in a protocol." He turned to the audience. "The accusing side may call their first witness."  
  
The short man rose up and announced. "Our first witness is the victim Crayton Dugger." The already familiar man rose on the stage. The left part of his face was covered with bandages, and he wasn't speaking clearly when making the swear. Then he sat on the chair on the stage.  
  
The short man came to him and asked the usual prologue questions about his name, age, place of work, etc. Rebecca swallowed. ~Damn, he's just nineteen, and already hurt so badly.~ for a moment she even felt guilty to this man, then the feeling subsided. At least he was the one who wanted her kid behind the gates. At this time the man proceeded.  
  
"What happened on the 14th of this month?" Crayton replied clearly, as if he was repeating the answers to familiar questions.  
  
"I was making the usual check, and the kid of Mrs. Sangerson was in the list. I came into her house, talked with her, then went to the kid and took it in my arms. As the kid got close enough to my face, it slashed its claws out and scarred me."  
  
Rebecca clenched her fists as he referred to her kid as to "it", but said nothing. The man went on questioning. "Have you had the checks before?"  
  
"Yes" Crayton said.  
  
"Had anything like this happened before?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Have you asked Mrs. Rebecca about the child being aggressive?"  
  
"Yes. That's one of the standard questions of the check."  
  
"And what had she replied?"  
  
"She said the kid showed no signs of aggression."  
  
"Thank you. I have no other questions." The short man set down on his chair.  
  
Mr. Hitcher let out a growl. "See? He wants to root under you to accuse you of lying here." A demonic smile crept on his lips. "I won't let him."  
  
"The defending side asks for the cross-examination." He said as he rose his hand. The judge nodded.  
  
"You have my permission."  
  
"Thank you, your honor." With that Mr. Hitcher stepped to the guy like a hawk to the lamb.  
  
"So, you said you had checks before, right?"  
  
"Yes I did."  
  
"Have you passed any courses about the right behavior with mutants?"  
  
"Yes, I did." Mr. Hitcher stayed calm.  
  
"Were you taught about the ways to avoid any harm mutants can bring?"  
  
"Yes, I did" Crayton looked satisfied no more. Mr. Hitcher went on.  
  
"As you took the kid in your arms, was she calm?" Crayton chewed at his lips. The lawyer pushed a bit. "Was she still?" Crayton signed.  
  
"No, she whirled a bit in my arms."  
  
"Could it mean she didn't like being in your arms?" Before Crayton had a chance to respond, the short man exclaimed  
  
"Objection, sir. The witness is demanded to present his own opinion."  
  
"Objection agreed. Mr. Hitcher, please, retract the question or change it."  
  
Mr. Hitcher nodded. "Well. Then I'd ask: how did the kid look as you took her in your arms?" The short man jumped up again.  
  
"Objection, sir. The witness is demanded to present him own opinion."  
  
"Objection denied. Answer the question, please."  
  
Crayton licked his lips. "She was looking… hmm… unpleased." Hitcher leaned forward.  
  
"Does it mean she was frightened?"  
  
"Objection, sir! The pressure on the witness."  
  
"Objection accepted. You don't have to answer the question."  
  
Mr. Hitcher nodded. "Thank you, I have no more questions." With that he sat down.  
  
"The next witness of the accusers is Dr. Long." An old man with small beard stepped on the stage and made a swear. The short man rose from his seat. "What happened at the 14th of this month?"  
  
The man started in gruff voice. "I was in the ambulance center on duty, and we got a call from the Jameson street 8. The woman was calling. We came there and seen the man with his cheek hurt."  
  
"How badly was he hurt?"  
  
"He'll have the scars for the rest of his life."  
  
"Is there any cosmetic operation that may bring the face of Mr. Crayton into norm?"  
  
"No, unfortunately the wounds aren't operable anymore. There's a great chance any operation will affect the skin in a destructive way, so it won't heal after it." One of the jurymen shook his head in some kid of shock.  
  
The short man went on. "Was there any danger for Mr. Crayton's life?" The doctor thought for a moment.  
  
"Mr. Crayton would have been killed if the claws went two or three inches lower"  
  
The mischievous grin appeared on the short man's face "Thank you. I have no more questions."  
  
Mr. Hitcher stood up and asked for the cross-examination, that was immediately allowed. "What percent of the possibility was there for Mr. Crayton to have the lethal outcome?"  
  
"About 10 percent."  
  
"What could it be caused by?"  
  
"It could be caused either by not giving the first medical help in time, or by calling the ambulance too late."  
  
"Was the first medical help given as you came?"  
  
"Yes it was."  
  
"Who gave it?"  
  
"The woman who called herself Rebecca."  
  
"Would you please specify who Rebecca is?"  
  
"Sabie's mother"  
  
"Good. Who was calling the ambulance?"  
  
"She said she was."  
  
"Objection! The witness is talking for the other person."  
  
"Mrs. Sangerson can confirm this under the swear." The judge paused. "Objection denied. Mrs. Rebecca will confirm the fact she called the ambulance under oath."  
  
"Thank you, no more questions."  
  
"Does the accusing side have any more witnesses?"  
  
"No, your honor." the short man said. "Then let the defending side present their witnesses."  
  
Mr. Hitcher got up. "Our first witness is Mrs. Rebecca Sangerson, the foster-mother of the defendant Sabie Sangerson. Please come to the stage and take the oath."  
  
"I swear to tell the truth, only truth and nothing but truth." Rebecca mumbled and sat onto the chair on the stage. Mr. Hitcher started the examination.  
  
"Has your foster daughter Sabie even shown any signs of the aggression to you?"  
  
"No" Rebecca replied.  
  
Mr. Hitcher nodded. "Had other people ever come to your home after you took Sabie in?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Have they seen the kid?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Have they taken her in their hands like Mr. Crayton did?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Were any of your guests hurt by her?"  
  
"No"  
  
"May I remind you that you're under oath." The judge said. Rebecca thought for a moment.  
  
"There was one time. My friend Nicolas visited us when she was three months old, and as she sucked at his finger she bit him accidentally. It was no more than a small scratch, just a few drops of blood."  
  
Mr. Hitched chewed at his lips. "Can Mr. Nicolas confirm your depositions under the swear?"  
  
"Yes, he can" The judge turned to the short man.  
  
"Does the accusing side want to examine Mr. Nicolas as a witness?" The short man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, your honor".  
  
"So, there were no incidents except for this one?" Mr. Hitcher continued.  
  
"Yes." Rebecca confirmed.  
  
"Any other signs of aggression?"  
  
"Never."  
  
"What was her usual social state?" She thought for a moment, recalling her foster-daughter's behavior.  
  
"She was calm, though very active and interested in her surrounding. She never ever showed the signs of the aggression to the other beings: humans or not."  
  
Mr. Hitcher smiled. "Well, I have no more questions."  
  
"Does the accusing side want to cross-examinate Mrs. Sangerson?"  
  
"Yes." The short man rose from his seat. "Mrs. Sangerson, so you claim your foster daughter to be not aggressive, right?"  
  
"Yes, I do" she replied with the hint of hesitation. There was nothing good to come from this lawyer.  
  
He smiled. "You're a doctor. Do you know how genes influence the growth of the kid?"  
  
"Yes. The evolving of the cub depends much of the genetic material in his DNA." Everything sounded okay, if not that mischievous grin on the man's face. She couldn't comprehend what could he have up his sleeve.  
  
"Sabie is your foster daughter, right?"  
  
"Yes, she is."  
  
"Do you know who her parents were?" She thought for a moment.  
  
"Yes, I do. Her mother was Mrs. Patricia Sherman, the widow." His eyes flashed with diabolic fire.  
  
"Why had she left the kid?"  
  
Mr. Hitcher jumped up like on a ribbon "Objection, sir! The witness is asked to make a proposal."  
  
"Objection denied. Witness, answer the question." Mr. Hitcher sat down shaking his head and nearly growling. He was sensing the danger too. Rebecca hesitated.  
  
"She left her because of Sabie being a visible mutant. Some people do this"  
  
He nodded. "Who was Sabie's father?"  
  
A pause followed. "Her father is Mr. Jordan Sherman, now deceased."  
  
"It's who you thought him to be." The short man proclaimed. "I'm sure the court won't count this as a lie under the swear as you were sure you were telling the truth. But I'd like to show you what you do not know."  
  
With that he paced to the table and took out a pack of documents. He took out some sets of papers and gave one set to the judge, others to the jurymen. "Here're the materials of the case that happened on the February twelfth, the year 2018. It was the day Mr. Jordan Sherman was killed. It was also the day Mrs. Patricia Sherman was raped by the attacker, the one was proved to kill her husband." Rebecca blinked. She wasn't getting the clue of what was happening; at least she was trying to pretend she wasn't getting the clue. The short man went on.  
  
"Mrs. Sherman got pregnant after it and kept the child aware of it being the kid of her husband, you can see that in the papers of the case. As the kid was born, it appeared to be the mutant, and she was so scared of it she went insane – the nurse can confirm my words under oath. But it was her first child, the one she was waiting for so long, the one that meant so much for her. Why was she so scared then?" he made an effective pause. "Maybe it was because the kid reminded her someone? Someone who had brutally raped her five months ago?" he traveled his gaze around the room. "We had the analyses of Sabie's blood from the hospital. We accessed the police med-info-center and asked to find the match." He paused again, catching the darts of jurymen eyes on him. "And the match was found."  
  
Suddenly he turned back to Rebecca. "What is your foster daughter's name? I mean the real name that was written in her birth-card?"  
  
She swallowed. "It was Sabretooth."  
  
"Why was she named that?"  
  
"Because her mother wanted this."  
  
"Wanted?…" he teased "How could she want anything if she went insane? She had a bout right after the kid's birth."  
  
"She was chanting it all the time." Rebecca mumbled, her eyes blinking rapidly.  
  
"And I'll tell you the source of her name. Dear jurymen, I want you to know the kid Sabie got her name from her father. Her real father I mean."  
  
He took a thick file from the table. "Her father was nicknamed Sabretooth, however his real name is unrevealed yet. And…" he fumbled with the file. "I'd like you to look through his biography." He started "January 1995, Finland, Helsinki - Prime Minister assassinated. The same month, Dania, Olborg – sixteen people killed on the street. The same month, Germany, Munchen, six people killed in the store. The same month, France, Mez, over forty people died in the exploding house." He turned several pages. "Let's move closer to nowadays. March 2018, Spain, Saragosa, fifty people killed in a week." At this he raised his eyes on the jurymen, then went on reading. Rebecca felt the air had gotten sticky and cold, so cold she couldn't breath it in. how come her girl, her li'l girl was the daughter of such a creature?… it wasn't fair, it just was too scary to be true.  
  
The short man closed the folder. "He never killed less then thirty people in a month. That means he killed almost every day. The police experts claim him as schizophrenic murderer. And here…" he motioned to the side. "We have his offspring, who claims over 80% of his genes." He took out another file and passed to the judge and jurymen the pictures. After a small hesitation, he gave Rebecca one of the papers. There was a man on it. Blond hair falling over his shoulders, strong jaw, green pupilles piercing eyes. Her heart sank.  
  
"His profile stays this list of mutations: retractable claws, fangs, heightened senses, healing factor, green pupilles eyes. As we can see from Sabie's profile, she possesses all of them." He flashed a smirk to the audience. The jurymen looked shocked.  
  
He turned to Rebecca. "I'd ask you to repeat you answer. Do the genes have a great influence on kid's evolving?" her voice dropped, but she managed to push out a stiffed  
  
"Yes, they do."  
  
"Good. I have no more questions." With that he took his seat.  
  
Like a rag doll, Rebecca went to her seat and fell in her chair. Mr. Hitcher took a firm hold of her hand. "Shake up, we won't win with you having such a face." However he wasn't having more of a confidence on his own one. "Damn" he cussed under his breath. Suddenly Rebecca raised her head, an insane hope on her face.  
  
"Where's the kid?" she asked.  
  
He frowned. "Why the hell do you need a kid now? To prove how much she looks like her dad?! They'll be just comparing her to the picture now, nothing more, don't you understand?!"  
  
"Give me the kid," she hissed. He shrugged and rose from his seat.  
  
"Your honor. I'd ask you to bring Ms. Sabie here."  
  
The judge nodded and turned to the policemen. "Please, bring the defendant here."  
  
Soon the man with the kid in his arms walked into the courtroom. He was holding the kid at his waist level, away from his face and from his body as much as possible. Sabie's hands were freed from metal gloves.  
  
Rebecca reached out and took the kid into her arms. Sabie was shivering a bit, hugging to her mother. The woman stroked her short hair and walked to the stage, stopping right in front of it. She cooed quietly to her child and turned to the jurymen.  
  
"Look at her." She stepped closer to them. "Look properly at who are you judging now." She paused and adjusted the shirt on Sabie. "Just a kid. Small kid who doesn't talk yet, who doesn't walk yet." She was talking slowly and fluently, without accenting the words. "The whole life is in front of her now, laying as a great field. She can become an actress, doctor, engineer, lawyer – anyone. She can use her heightened senses to make perfumes or to draw pictures. She may become a composer, so great next generations will listen to the music she wrote.  
  
"Or she may become a teacher or a driver, and live a normal life of a normal person. She may build houses or fly into space. There're thousands of paths in front of her. Why do you choose the way for her? What right do you have to say she'd be a killer?! Why a killer?" she paused.  
  
"Yes, she did hurt the man, and hurt him badly." At this moment she ran her stare over the jurymen. "But why the normal child gets nothing for this being claimed innocent, and she is judged by the crimes of her father?" she paused again, catching the glimpse of repent in people's eyes. "The bible says "The sons shall not repent for the sins of their fathers." You're religious people, then why do you accuse her in the murders she never ever did? Why do you turn an accident into the premeditated assassination she never ever did?  
  
I know she looks much like her father." With that Rebecca ran her fingers over Sabie's claws. "But she isn't like him now. However she would be. You know what happens with kids in FOH's boarding schools? You think it's all sweet and nice out there? No, it isn't. Not all mutants live there in nice comfortable rooms. They live in cells, small cells about four feet square. And the guardians whip them if they make any sound, like wail or yell of hunger and thirst."  
  
Now it was shock in jurymen's eyes, as well as in the eyes of the audience. She went on. "If that psycho assassin Sabretooth was raised in such conditions, I am not astonished that he became like this." She was now standing at the jury stage with the kid in her hands. "And Sabie will be like him if you put her into those cages." She shook her head slowly. "And I do not want her to become a murderer." She looked at the jurymen. "Please, let me save her from this fate. Don't rob her of her childhood." With that she paced back to her seat and sat down, showing her speech was over.  
  
"Well done" Mr. Hitcher whispered, his hand on her shoulder. "Is this true about the cages?" Rebecca nodded weakly.  
  
"I saw it" she felt a shudder running through his arm as she said it.  
  
"We'll break for fifteen minutes till the jury makes its decision. All rise." The judge left the room." The short man leaped to Rebecca.  
  
"What the hell did you mumbled about cages for?!" he yelled at her.  
  
"I saw them" she said absentmindly, looking in front of herself, rocking Sabie in her arms.  
  
###  
  
"The jurymen have made a decision." The judge announced. One of the jurymen, an old man with brown beard, rose up and declared.  
  
"By the name of justice, we find the defendant Mrs. Sabie Sangerson…"  
  
Rebecca held her breath, Mr. Hitcher's muscles tensed, even Sabie stopped stirring in her mother's arms, as if aware of what was happening.  
  
"… not guilty."  
  
Rebecca let out a short hysteric laugh, Mr. Hitcher punched her in the back, and Sabie was just staring at her mom trying to get what made her so happy, then smiled unsurely.  
  
The man continued. "But we demand on writing the accident into Sabie's private case so it'd be taken into account in the case of her homo superior legal state as she reaches the age of 21."  
  
###  
  
"Here we go, Sabie" Rebecca whispered, getting into the car.  
  
"The jury did right." She remembered Mr. Hitcher saying. "If Sabie lives a normal life, she is in no danger. However if she commits a crime, there'll be no way out for her." She didn't care. It was all over now.  
  
"We did it, girl" she caught Sabie's hand into her own one, and letting it slid out. Sabie laughed, and the driver turned his head nervously for a moment.  
  
"We did it, girl. We won your life." She whispered, and hugged the kid closer.  
  
There's no strength left and the pain is gone  
  
The anguish ruined the soul like the moth eats the clothes  
  
Everything's going into abyss not for the first time already  
  
And friendly words are dead and empty  
  
Everything's sold, lost or given away  
  
The bleeding heart is the dish on a tray  
  
And only the dust is left in the pockets  
  
But there's some feeling here, it's hope  
  
She hears the steps that get quieter in minutes  
  
He turned into the bird, he's gonna live among the clouds  
  
She doesn't wait for him anymore, she forgave and she's crying  
  
And stupid friend of hers teases her with hope  
  
The time is passing fast and the naïve lie  
  
Brings tiny wrist to the sharp knife  
  
There was hope but it was in vain  
  
It's dripping on the floor with dark crimson stains  
  
Ya'r always alone but even if ya've got a friend  
  
He won't see the death in the lines on ya'r hand  
  
He won't get strong when ya got weak  
  
And if ya don't say a word, he ain't the one to speak  
  
He cans nothing but help when something's wrong  
  
When desperation clouds ya'r eyes like a fog  
  
When tears tile ya'r face into three parts  
  
And there's no hope and no Ace cards  
  
The hope is self-deception but it's all we have  
  
It's like a cheap slut who goes from hands into hands  
  
This faking bitch fills ya'r eyes with dust  
  
And disappears at the moment ya need her the most  
  
It'll leave and return thousand times  
  
Always keeping the diamond just in ya'r eyes  
  
Without hope I'm dead, shot by despair  
  
'Cos I was just hoping, but I wasn't sure.  
  
("Hope", Dolphin, translated from Russian by Sabie)  
  
The End 


End file.
